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303

my girlfriend's daughter was just given a savage 303 lever action. and on the barrel it is stamped (patented feb 7 1893. july 25 1893). i have never heard of the 303cal. can any one give me any info on this gun. or what a possible price on this gun we would never sell it. it has an octagon barrel, absolutley no rust, in complete working order, and no scratches. i am really curious and would like to know more about this gun.

my girlfriend's daughter was just given a savage 303 lever action. and on the barrel it is stamped (patented feb 7 1893. july 25 1893). i have never heard of the 303cal. can any one give me any info on this gun. or what a possible price on this gun we would never sell it. it has an octagon barrel, absolutley no rust, in complete working order, and no scratches. i am really curious and would like to know more about this gun.

thanx for any info

Lineman, this is likely a Savage 1895 rifle chambered for the .303 Savage (not .303 British!). The .303 Savage is slightly more powerful than the 30/30 Winchester, and shoots a 180 gr. bullet in factory loadings. The metal in these old guns is soft compared to their modern brethren, and will not tolerate hot rod reloads without stretching the action. The guns are well made, but do have an Achilles heel, which is the disconnect lever that unlocks the bolt. Do not do a lot of unnecessary working of the lever, or dry firing. Here is a source for additional information. http://savage99.com/. I have an 1899 in 25/35 Winchester, which is another old time caliber for deer. Good luck.

I have a Savage 1899 in .303 Savage.
Factory ammo is no longer generally available here in the US, but is a popular cartridge in Scandinavia and Europe, as well as Australia. Sometimes you can find brass for it on MidwayUSA or other such sites.
Reloading dies can sometimes be found from Redding or Lee.
Ammo can be reloaded, using data for a .30-30, best to start light, say 10% reduction, to see what your gun will take. They generally like heavier bullets, the original factory loads were 180 and 190 gr. Factory pressures were higher than for the .30-30 also. You will see some that say the bullets have to be .311, but that's not so. Some factory rounds were loaded with .311 bullets to increase chamber pressures and get more velocity. However the bore is .308 and modern .308 bullets work fine. With the rotary magazine you can even use pointed bullets, but they don't look right in those old guns.
There are several websites and forums devoted to the Savage 99 rifle, and the .303 cartridge, now more collector's items than shooters, but many still shoot them, as do I. A browser search will turn up some good places for info, and reading through posts there will provide others. Lots of fun shooting the old timers, and making ammo for them. Hope she enjoys the treasure she was given.

“We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it. We get it rough enough at home; in towns and cities;…” -George W. “Nessmuk” Sears-

Unless you really need to, I wouldn't shoot it much. It is a rare, classic that has survived in primo condition. I have a couple of guns (a Win M12 that was my Grandfathers and a Colt..39 that was my Uncles) like this in similiar condition. They are really worth too much to use them a lot. Look at them, fondle them and shoot the only occasionally. Treat them like the classis thay are!

The current Blue Book of Gun Values has a 1899B rifle (B rifle has a full octogon bbl) at $1,200 down to $500...depending on condition.

Colorado Cowboy
Cowboy Action Shooter; Endowment Life Member-NRA
The Original Rocket Scientist-Retired
"My Father always considered a walk in the mountains as the equivalent of church going."
Aldous Huxley

Unless you really need to, I wouldn't shoot it much. It is a rare, classic that has survived in primo condition. I have a couple of guns (a Win M12 that was my Grandfathers and a Colt..39 that was my Uncles) like this in similiar condition. They are really worth too much to use them a lot. Look at them, fondle them and shoot the only occasionally. Treat them like the classis thay are!

The current Blue Book of Gun Values has a 1899B rifle (B rifle has a full octogon bbl) at $1,200 down to $500...depending on condition.

Horsesnickle!

Use it, shoot it, enjoy it. If it's not 100% new in the box it's not a premium anyway.

Guns are meant to be used, it's not like they inhereted a Purdey shotgun or a factory engraved winchester 1876.

I didn't say don't shoot it!!! I said treat it like the classic it is. 100% NIB really doesn't apply to older, classic firearms. I buy, sell and collect a lot of firearms and if the condition is as described, one like this doesn't show up very often. Especially ones with the full octogon barrels, thats why they are worth more.

Last edited by Colorado Cowboy; 10-21-2012 at 09:31 AM.

Colorado Cowboy
Cowboy Action Shooter; Endowment Life Member-NRA
The Original Rocket Scientist-Retired
"My Father always considered a walk in the mountains as the equivalent of church going."
Aldous Huxley